Tire cover



G. A. LYON TIRE COVER Nov. 5, 1935. v

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 2, 193].

NOV. 5, 1935. LYON I I 2,019,988

TIRE COVER Original Filed Oct. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 5,1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIRE COVER George Albert Lyon,Allenhurst, N. J assignor to Lyon Incorporated, Asbury Park, N. J acorporation of Delaware 1932, Serial No. 605,850

6 Claims.

This invention relates to metallic tire covers and more particularly toa single piece unitary metallic tire cover.

The present subject matter has been divided from my copending patentapplication Serial No. 566,451, filed October 2, 1931, and patented July3, 1934, No. 1,965,531.

It isthe object of this invention to provide an improved, simplifiedsingle piece unitary metallic tire cover.

In accordance with the general features of this invention there isprovided a single piece metallic tire cover including a side portion fordisposition over an outer side wall of the spare tire and a flexibleperipheral portion for disposition over the outer periphery or tread ofthe tire the former of which portions is adapted to be blanked from asingle sheet of material and the latter of which portions is adapted tobe thereafter formed from the blank so formed.

Another feature of the invention relates to the corrugating of theperipheral or rim portion of the cover so as to provide the same withflexibility whereby the cover may be readily flexed into proper tireprotecting position on the tire. 1

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear fromthe following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a single embodiment thereof andin which Figure l is a side elevation of the tire cover embodying thefeatures of this invention;

Figure 2 is horizontal cross sectional View taken t on the line IIII ofFigure 1 looking downwardly,

and

Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are views of the cover in the different stagesof its manufacture in accordance with the method also of my invention.

The cover of my invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and includesa side portion ill for disposition over an outer side wall of a sparetire and a peripheral or rim portion II for disposition over the treador outer periphery of the tire. These two portions are integral sincethe tire cover is made from a single piece of material. The materialused may be of any suitable thin sheet material such for example asmetallic sheet. Further it is to be noted that the peripheral portion IIis provided with a plurality of transverse corrugations whichcorrugations are of greatest depth at their outermost extremities. Thesecorrugations are indicated by the reference character l2.

The peripheral portion I I does not extend clear around the plateportion I0 but is cut oil at the point l3 indicated in Figure 1 so thatthe lower part of the cover includes only the downwardly projecting sideportion l0. This construction enables the cover to be shoved downwardlyinto proper tire protecting position on a spare tire such for example asthe spare tire mounted in a fenderwell of an automotive vehicle.Moreover the corrugations l2 in the peripheral portion H provide thesame with flexibility so that the peripheral portion will expand uponbeing pushed over the tire and will thereafter contract to retain thecover in proper tire protecting position on the'tire.

The peripheral portion ll is of concavo-convex cross section and of suchwidth that when the cover is on a spare tire the rear edge of thisportion will extend inwardly from the outermost periphery of the tire toan extent sufficient to enable it to hold the cover on the tire againstlateral displacement. 4

If it is desired additional clamping means may be used in the form of asuitable clamping arm or strap to secure the cover in place according tothe requirements of the user.

In Figures 3 to '7 inclusive I have illustrated the various stagesinvolved in the manufacture of my tire cover in accordance with themethod of my invention.

In the first step of the method the square sheet of sheet material suchfor example as metallic sheet is subjected to. a punch press operationwhereby a ring-like depression i5 is formed in the sheet It as shown inFigure 3.

In the second step of the operation the corners 35 of the square sheetare cut off so as to provide the same with a circular outer edge H asshown in Figure 4.

Also at the same time that the corners of the sheet are cut ofi acentral ring-like disc may be 40 punched from the plate It so as toprovide a circular opening leaving a ring-like flange l9 adjacent thedepression l5.

In the next step of the process illustrated in Figure 5 the ring-likeflange I9 is bent upwardly 45 as is also the outermost edge of the platedesignated by the reference numeral 20.

Nextly the two upwardly bent flanges I9 and 20 are bent downwardly overthe adjoining portions of the plate as shown in Figure 6 to form 50doubled back edges.

In the final operations involved in the manufacture of my cover theouter peripheral or marginal portion of the ring-like plate I 6 is bentupwardly and inwardly so as to define the peripheral 55 or treadcovering portion ll of the cover. This bending operation may beaccomplished either by a punch press operation, by a spinning operationor the like. After this outer peripheral portion of the plate is bentinto the form shown in Figure '7 so as to define the peripheral portionII of the cover the same may be suitably corrugated to provide thecorrugations previously described in connection with Figures 1 and 2 anddesignated by the reference character [2. Also preferably before theportion l I of the cover is formed a part of this outer portion of thering-like cover may be cut away at the points indicated at l3 in Figure1 so that the lower part of the cover does not include a peripheralportion.

It will of course be appreciated that when the cover is completelyfabricated the depression l5 previously described constitutes the outerside wall portion In of the cover and the upwardly and inwardly bentperipheral part of the ringlike plate constitutes the corrugatedperipheral portion ll of the cover.

Now it is of course understood that although I have described in detailthe preferred embodiment of my invention the invention is not to be thuslimited but only insofar as defined by the scope and spirit of theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. As an article of manufacture, a single piece unitary resilientlyyieldable tire cover including a ring-like side portion for dispositionover a side of the tire and a discontinuous transversely corrugated rimor peripheral portion for disposition over the tread of the tire, thecorrugations of said peripheral portion being of such character as toprovide that portion with flexibility so that it will yieldably flex asthe tire cover is shoved downwardly into tire protecting position on thetire.

2. As an article of manufacture, a single piece unitary resilientlyyieldable tire cover including a circular side portion for dispositionover a side wall of the tire and a discontinuous peripheral portion fordisposition over the outer periphery or tread of the tire, said portionhaving transverse deformations providing the cover with flexibilitywhereby it may be shoved downwardly into tire protecting position on aspare tire such as a spare tire mounted in the fenderwell of anautomobile.

3. As an article of manufacture, a single piece unitary resilientlyyieldabletire cover including a circular side portion for dispositionover a side wall of the tire and a discontinuous peripheral portion fordisposition over the outer periphery or tread of the tire, said portionhaving transverse deformations providing the cover with flexibilitywhereby it may be shoved downwardly into tire protecting position on aspare tire such as a spare tire mounted in the fenderwell of anautomobile and being of such circumferential length as to extend aboutat least substantially all of the tread of the tire exposed above thefenderwell.

4. As an article of manufacture, a single piece unitary resilientlyyieldable tire cover including a circular side portion for dispositionover a side wall of the tire and a discontinuous peripheral portion fordisposition over the outer periphery or tread of the tire, said portionhaving transverse deformations providing the cover with flexibilitywhereby it may be shoved downwardly into tire protecting position on aspare tire such as a spare tire mounted in the fenderwell of anautomobile and being of such width as to have its rear edge projectinwardly from the outermost periphery of the spare tire on its rear sideto an extent sufficient to prevent lateral displacement of the tire onthe cover.

5. As an article of manufacture, a single piece unitary resilientlyyieldable tire cover including a circular side portion for dispositionover .a. side wall of the tire and a discontinuous peripheral portionfor disposition over the outer periphery or tread of the tire, saidportion having transverse deformations providing the cover withflexibility whereby it may be shoved downwardly into tire protectingposition on a spare tire such as a spare tire mounted in the fenderwellof an automobile and being of such circumferential length as to extendabout at least substantially all of the tread of the tire exposed abovethe fenderwell as well as being of such width as to have its rear edgeproject inwardly from the outermost periphery of the spare tire on itsrear side to an extent sufficient to prevent lateral displacement of thetire on the cover.

6. As an article of manufacture, a single piece unitary resilientlyyieldable tire cover made of sheet material such as metal sheet,including a ring-like side portion for disposition over a side of thetire, and a discontinuous transversely deformed resilient rim orperipheral portion for disposition over the tread of the tire, thetransverse resilience of said peripheral portion being provided by thedeformation in said portion and being of such character as to providethat portion with flexibility so that it will yieldably flex as the tirecover is shoved downwardly into tire protecting position on the tire.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON.

